micro memoir

Running Past the Pontianak

Between our kampong house and the coffee shop was a 200-metre unlit path.

Whenever my mother sent me on an errand at night, I dreaded the journey.

There was a wooden bridge over a longkang and an old attap house beside it, surrounded by banana trees.

After hearing too many Pontianak stories, I was convinced something was hiding in the darkness.

I would sprint down the path while reciting Psalm 23 from memory.

Somehow, I always made it across.

Lesson: Courage is not the absence of fear. Sometimes it is simply taking the next step despite being afraid.

One Step from Disaster

When I was studying at Playfair Primary School, I had to cross the road near the junction of Paya Lebar Road and Airport Road. One day, I stepped off the central divider without paying attention. A lorry whizzed past my face, inches from my nose. Had I taken one more

The Empty Gate

Every afternoon after school, our mongrel would wait behind the metal gate. The moment he heard my bicycle bell, he would jump up and wag his tail so hard his whole body seemed to bend with it. One rainy week, I came home and the gate was empty. I parked

The Samsui Woman's Advice

When I was 16 and waiting for my O-Level results, I worked for a few months for my brother-in-law, who ran a small construction company. I drilled concrete floors until my whole body shook from the vibration. I used a grinder to smooth the edges of window

Be Someone

The elders always said, "Strive to become someone." Otherwise, you will be a nobody. After sixty years of trying to become someone, I finally became myself.

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One Step from Disaster

The Empty Gate

The Samsui Woman's Advice

Be Someone